Never Far Away
by LibertineQueen
Summary: A series of vignettes following the Courier in her adventures through the Mojave Wasteland. F!Courier/Boone.
1. What must be done

**Never Far Away_  
_**

_'And the dirt beneath my heels in the road_  
_Obeys command to me and serves me as I go_  
_And though it help to know you're never far away_  
_I can't help wondering how you might feel about me today'_

* * *

The man in the checked suit fled across the wasteland and the Courier followed.

Along the way she'd picked up a brooding sniper, a sassy drunk, a talkative Brotherhood scribe, a ghoul mechanic, a unpredictably cute eye-bot, a cyberhound that belonged to a king, a Followers Doctor, and a crazy nightkin who seemed to think that they were all of them her Grandchildren.

Base of operations: The Lucky 38, courtesy of Mr House.

Mission: …Well, Six hadn't quite figured that part out yet. One step at a time and all that. It wasn't like she was scared of being face-to-face with Benny again, was it? After all this work, all the effort she'd gone to for that very moment, surely it was foolish of her to be scared? Six was bruised, battle-worn, and a true soldier of the wastes.

She was also frightened to death.

Her Companions sensed her growing nervousness, and one day, whilst in the kitchen, Six found herself confronted by Arcade: "You know, I can't help but feel that you've put this off for too long."

She almost laughed. "Tell me something I don't know, Gannon."

"Well what's the plan then, Boss?"

Raul stepped in, and all of a sudden _everyone_ was there looking at her with wide eyes. Except ED-E of course, who didn't have eyes, and Lily who felt compelled to bake whenever she was near the oven. As the Nightkin bustled about in the background with bowls and an armful of ingredients, the others took their seats at the table and watched the Courier expectantly as she slid into her own chair. In the past she'd brought everyone together here, ever the diplomat and eager for all of them to come to an agreement about some mission or business deal. They were all affable, but for Six that damned kitchen table had become a too-familiar place of tensions, quarrels, and conflicts of interest. They all looked to her to do the right thing, but she wasn't sure if such a thing even existed in her mind anymore.

She laid her hands flat on the table and took a deep breath. "I don't know what to do."

It was quiet, barely audible, and the most stupid she'd felt for a long time.

"I mean, I know I need find Benny and the platinum chip…that's been the plan from the start, right? But then I kind of got distracted by everything else. So many people want my help, and you guys- you guys have done so much for me. We came all the way here and now I-" She let out another sigh, letting her gaze flick over to Boone. His silence unnerved her on a good day, but now his impassivity kind of hurt. "I just really don't know…"

"Talking to this Benny guy can't hurt right?" Veronica broke the silence.

Arcade arched an eyebrow. "He _did_ shoot her in the head."

At the mention of it, Six ran her hand over the scar Benny had so graciously given her. With a grimace she recalled his other little 'gift' - she didn't remember a goddamn thing about her life before those bullets went in. She'd tried writing things down and talking about them, but it was like the first memory she'd ever had was the way he had made her tremble in those few seconds before he shot her.

"We could go with her. Back her up."

Six clenched her fist. _Boone._ He was so …loyal.

"No no no, you gotta get the guy alone and fucking steal that goddamn chip."

The idea was proposed by Cass, the Courier didn't know how seriously, but it made sense. All this time she'd imagined going in guns-blazing, but the lies-and-trickery approach was just as good, if not better. Arcade was right; it had been put off for too long. Two weeks to be precise.

With a terse nod of the head she acquiesced: "I'll do it then. Tomorrow night."

And so the deal was sealed. No more hiding, if she could face a swarm of Legionnaires without the blink of an eyelid, she could face the fucker who had done this to her.


	2. Simplest thing

_'Challenge, and not desire, lies at the heart of seduction.'_

* * *

Six had not counted on the second part of Cass' plan, which the red-head had deigned not to share until the night in question.

"It's simple, Six. You want to get in and you want to stay in. So you come onto the guy, _that's_ how you get him alone."

"…What!?"

"You heard me. You're not cherry are you?"

Cass looked her friend up and down. The Courier didn't know her age, but she certainly looked young. Couldn't have been past twenty-two, who the hell was a virgin at twenty-two!?

"I don't know. I mean how can you tell that shit if you don't know."

The more her memory-loss got in the way of things the more it frustrated Six.

Cass snorted. "I've seen you looking at Boone like he's a 3oz steak! You're no blushing violet that's for sure – you just lay on those charms of yours. You don't have to fuck the guy, just act like you're totally hot for him. He'll take you somewhere, and when you're alone you can question him."

"Hey!" The Courier folded her arms indignantly, "I don't look at Boone like anything!"

Cass saw straight through her.

"Besides, I don't think it's that simple. I don't know how to- to seduce anyone!"

"Six, it's the simplest thing I know."


	3. Not vengeance, but duty

**_Authors note: There will be some F!Courier/Benny in this chapter and the next, but it's not the main pairing of this fic!_**

* * *

'_You got your demons, you got desires. Well, I got a few of my own.'_

* * *

After what seemed like forever, and using some very sleazy lines that Cass had made her practice in the bathroom mirror, Six had gotten Benny alone in his suite. The trouble was that he too was pretty convincing, and now she was sure she had encouraged him too much.

In some contrived attempt to break contact, Six made her way over to the sofa, wondering what the hell she was going to do now. She'd gotten a little information out of him on the casino floor, but not enough.

Within seconds Benny was next to her, thigh-to-thigh. He reached into his jacket and pulled out his gun, placing it on the coffee table in front of them. Tapping it twice, he grinned and looked at her:

"I only pack one kind of heat in the bedroom, dig?"

It might have been a nice gesture had he not already shot her twice with the very same gun. His expectant gaze melted her resolve, and she pulled her mini-revolver from its hiding place – her cleavage. That one had been Veronica's idea, as the scribe had pestered Six until she agreed to wear a dress. A dress which Benny had clearly been staring down since they met. Reluctantly, as she couldn't trust him as far as she could throw him, the Courier placed her gun next to Benny's.

She _had_ to make him talk somehow, right? Call it an overwhelming sense of duty.

"Didn't think you'd come here for vengeance." Benny had placed his hand on the small of her back.

"Well then why do you think I came here?"

"Baby, you came to get clued in. I gotta ask – how is it that you're still living?"

Somewhere between his words Benny had managed to pull her down to the sofa with him. He was close, daringly so, and it made Six feel sick.

"A Securitron dug me up and a Doc in Goodsprings did the rest."

He looked surprised, even as he pushed back her dark hair to examine the scar he had left there. "House was onto me from the word go? I thought I was being so clever…anyway honey baby once you were vertical how'd you track me down?" His hand was on her neck, pulling her closer to him.

Six scoffed. "I'm persistent. That's all. Now about this chip-"

"Maybe we don't need to talk. Perhaps there's something else we could do first. To _ease the tension_, dig?" He leaned in and before Six knew what was happening she felt his lips on hers. Just lightly, just barely, but it was enough to send a serious jolt through her entire body.

She hadn't realized she was reciprocating until it was too late. Her body had betrayed her, and by sheer force of will alone the Courier pulled away.

"I was perfectly happy talking you know."

But he didn't stop, his mouth had connected with her neck and as he planted hot, electrifying kisses there she heard him mutter:

"Baby, you're just a little too high-strung."


	4. Dirty business

**_Authors note: Here there be smut!_**

* * *

'_We all have a little bit of sin inside of us.'_

* * *

To her surprise Benny grabbed her by the hips and stood, lifting her with him to his bedroom. In a futile attempt not to fall, she clutched her legs desperately around his waist and tried to pretend that the hardness, hot against her thigh, was not there. He dropped her onto the bed, grinned, and then went back to close the door. Six wanted to bolt, but she also wanted to stay. It infuriated her that she had gone from fearing this man to wanting him, and he was giving her no time to think about it.

He was upon her again, holding her arms either side of her head as his mouth worked against her skin. She felt herself sinking into the feel of it, like a warm bath. Benny's kiss was infectious; he would touch upon her lips before trailing down to her collarbone, leaving her wanting.

"No- no stop..." Courier Six found herself murmuring the words between light moans, but her hands had made their way into his hair and she was pulling him upwards towards her.

This action – among other things – was enough to make it very clear that she didn't really mean it. Benny looked down at her and smirked, he hadn't expected to find himself in this position tonight. The other cats would be green-eyed tomorrow.

The woman underneath him leaned forwards and clumsily pressed her lips against his. It wasn't amazing, in fact, it was practically the furthest thing from great a kiss could get, but she was gaining confidence. For a second the thought that she might be a virgin passed through Benny's mind, but what did it really matter to him? He had a young, intriguing woman responding to his advances. What more could a guy want!

Her mouth grew more confident as it cautiously worked over his. She was slow and deliberate, noticing how soft Benny's lips were as they moved against her own. The awkward beginning gave way to sweet, leisurely advances. Teeth nipped teasingly at Six's lower lip and then suckled the pain of the bites away. Before she knew it they were both naked, skin-upon-skin, and before he entered her there was only one thought in her mind: there had to be something inexplicably wrong with a woman who was about to have sex with the man who tried to kill her…

Benny positioned himself over her and she groaned, feeling his head nudging at her entrance. He braced one arm on the pillow beside her, the other hand fisted gently in her hair. They locked eyes as he sank into her at an angle that teased at her clit, but didn't satisfy her. He was enjoying how easily her body had betrayed her mind, and truthfully she was enjoying it too.

As Benny began thrusting the status of her virginity was solved: non-existent, for which she was relieved. When he found a satisfying rhythm she found herself clutching at his arms, urging him on, moaning as she began to feel a kind of pleasure she hadn't even realized she'd been seeking. Benny grinned down at her, bending his head to offer a slow, languid kiss as his strokes brushed against her clit and had her arching into him. Six felt the smug bastard smirk as she tensed and moaned against his mouth, falling into ecstasy. She clenched hard around him, this time making _him_ moan as he followed her with his own orgasm. He rode out the aftershocks before rolling off her, pressing her back flat against his chest with one strong arm.

"That was a nice bit of hey-hey, girlie. You really wore me out."

_'Tell me about it.'_ She'd wanted to say, but found herself following him into sleep. At least if she was asleep she wouldn't have to deal with the repercussions of this mess.


	5. Confluence

_"We'll never be a part of this cursed fucking town, so we stand amongst ourselves and watch it burn to the ground."_

* * *

Six woke in the middle of the night in a strange bed, in a strange room, next to a strange man. She panicked, feeling a lump rise in her throat as she sat up, clutching desperately at the blankets. It wasn't until a few minutes later that she'd managed to calm herself enough to gain a little clarity and remember what had happened just a few hours ago. With a soft sigh she allowed herself to relax, lying back when she began feeling movement on the bed beside her.

She didn't look at him, just turned and stared up at the cracks in the ceiling. Outside the world carried on without them, and as Six listened to the noise of the New Vegas nightlife, she wondered if her friends were worried about her.

"Is there any fucking chance you and me don't end up in blood?"

Benny was on his side, resting his head against one hand whilst the other traced gentle circles on her thigh. She might have flinched and edged away from his touch, were it not for the surprisingly sincere look in his eyes as he awaited her answer.

Six sighed again and avoided his gaze, grabbing a few strands of hair and feigning interest in her split ends.

"Any of you realizing that the sun don't rise and set on me and you?"

Benny's hand stopped, resting flat upon her stomach. This time she did turn to look at him.

"What does that mean, baby?"

"Means there may be other fucking factors factored into my decision-making."

If he had replied or not, Six didn't know. She had fallen asleep shortly afterwards.

In the morning he was gone.

He'd left a note on his pillow, and after ransacking his room Six realized that Benny had definitely taken the platinum chip with him. She didn't know what she felt most, disgust or hopelessness or anger. Successfully picking the locked door in his room _did_ make her feel a little better. She supposed it was a sort of small triumph against Benny.

Discovering Yes-Man was an even bigger one.


	6. Killing season

_"Self-sacrifice? But it is precisely the self that cannot and must not be sacrificed."_

* * *

A few days later saw Six and Boone patrolling the wasteland on what she called 'a little Legion hunt.'

They'd heard rumours on the strip of a raiding party nearby, and had set out immediately. They were both of them well-armed, motivated and silent as the grave. Since seeing the horror at Nipton, and learning about Carla, Six had taken it upon herself to do anything in her power to take down the Legion. She had promised Boone that one day they would go to the Fort together and kill Caesar, and she knew he eagerly awaited the day when she would tell him: 'It's time.' She also knew that when that day came Boone would, so to speak, throw himself into the fire.

If it weren't for that, she would have gone with him right at that very moment. As things stood however, she had grown increasingly fond of Boone and did not want to lose him.

The noise of the rifle shot broke her out of her reverie. Somewhere along the way her sniper had run a few steps ahead of her, pressed tight against a crumbling wall, which he would lean over to fire precisely timed rounds. She scrambled through the dust and landed next to him, peering through the scope of her own automatic rifle. Legion raiders. Maybe two parties now scattered, brought to attention by Boone's fire, and now firing right back at them.

"You know, hangin' around with you is no picnic." Six turned to look at him with a smirk as she reloaded, and swore she could see the ghost of a smile upon his own lips.


End file.
